Browsing Posts tagged Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

–Our thanks to Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest for permission to republish this post, which first appeared on their blog on July 2, 2014. Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, located in Cle Elum, Washington, is located on a 26-acre farm in the Cascade mountains, 90 miles east of Seattle. CSNW is one of only a handful of sanctuaries in the country that cares for chimpanzees. CSNW was founded in 2003 to provide sanctuary for chimpanzees discarded from the entertainment and biomedical testing industries.

Sometimes it’s hard not to look at the chimpanzees through our sorrow. We’ve spoken often here on the blog about what each of the chimpanzees have lost and endured. The ghosts of themselves they were when they first arrived. For me while Jamie’s “before sanctuary” photo is one of the most difficult to look at, I have always thought that her indomitable spirit can still clearly be seen in her eyes. Despite all she had been through, her strength and completeness was still there. But I sometimes think that in our intent to be compassionate, we must be cautious not to risk doing the chimpanzees a great disservice by seeing them only through the sometimes tragic circumstances of their lives.

Jamie sitting on a platform late in the evening–courtesy CSNW

There is no doubt that with each passing day in sanctuary we are able to see the chimpanzees becoming more and more their chimpanzee selves. As their stress, fear and anxieties fade into the background, their personalities are materializing in front of our eyes. Something I am learning to do more and more is not to hold each of the chimps to behaviors I have come to expect. I want to hold the space for them to grow and change in their own time and space. Provided with choices, an enriching environment, and a healthy, loving home, every day they show us another facet of themselves. And earlier this week Jamie gave us a perfect example of what sanctuary makes possible.

Typically the chimpanzees’ evening routine involves dinner being served at 4:30 while the playroom is closed for evening spot cleaning. We put out additional blankets for nesting and a food puzzle for evening enrichment. We then return access to the playroom so the chimps can enjoy their enrichment while Young’s Hill is closed off for the evening. The chimpanzees know the routine and normally and are more than ready to come in and start building their nests for the night. Usually by the time we leave, the chimps are in bed and if we’re lucky, offering nest grunts to us as we say goodnight and leave for the day at 5:30. continue reading…

"Service Animal" Scammers (New Yorker): An increasing number of your neighbors have been keeping company with their pets in human-only establishments simply by claiming that the creatures are their licensed companion animals and are necessary to their mental well-being.

Why London’s pig café pop-up is a terrible idea for pigs: Teacup pigs are adorable. Unfortunately, they’re also a complete fabrication. But that isn’t stopping a local London specialty breeder and Yelp from putting on an adoption event to educate the public on “proper” micro pig care.